It is a well-known fact that crimes such as kidnapping, sexual assault and stalking, among others have been on the rise. India is a country where every seven minutes a girl faces an assault. Various conventional means, such as deploying security personnel, CCTV cameras and lighting systems in deserted areas, are employed to curb such crimes. While such conventional means have been successful in cu
rbing such crimes to some extent, it is well appreciated that use of technology, especially communication technologies, can play a significant role in curbing such crimes or providing assistance to victims of such crimes. Several smart phone applications are now available which can be used by a smart phone user to send messages to pre-selected mobile phone numbers indicating distress situation. Furthermore, when the message is sent the location information of the user is also communicated to the pre-selected mobile phone numbers. Such conventional smart phone applications are found to instill a sense of security in users of such applications. However, if such applications were to be used in an actual distress situation, then several drawbacks would surface. For instance, if a user of such a smart phone application were to be attacked by surprise, which is the case in many kidnapping scenarios, the user will hardly have the time, consciousness and convenience to access the application in the phone and send a signal indicating distress. Further, even if the user manages to access the application in the phone and send the signal along with location details, the recipient of the signal or message will only know the location of the user when such a signal is sent. In many cases, the victim’s location changes frequently as the victim might be transferred from place to another, or the victim might tries to escape. Furthermore, the victim’s phone could be confiscated by the attacker, thereby preventing the victim from sending subsequent signals indicating the victim's location. Additionally, such applications are generally designed to work only when the victim’s phone has internet connectivity. While some of the applications enable such communication through SMS protocol, in a scenario wherein the victim’s phone does not have sufficient prepaid currency, the application might fail to perform its intended function. Therefore, there is a need for a more effective technical solution enabling a user of a mobile communication device to indicate that the user is in distress, and enabling tracking of the user in distress, with an intention to provide assistance to the user. ARPITA, a patent pending technology, which stands for Automated Rescue, Protection and Intervention Technology Application, is a Hardware + Software system which lets its users, primarily women, stay safe at night.
